Luminous Larvae and Sulfurous Steam

Sorry for being delinquent in my postings- I'm just getting around to finishing up on our trip to the North Island at the beginning of July (so much to see and do!). After our time in the far north, we turned south below Auckland July 1-4, choosing Hamilton as our base for three days. Hamilton is the 5th largest city in NZ, the only large one that is inland, and the place I almost ended up working until Timaru Hospital came up with a last minute offer.

Our first tourist port of call was a Kiwi classic- the famed Waitomo glowworm caves!

Really, all of the travel literature draw you to these limestone caves, home to the Arachnocampa luminosa, or glowworm. These are actually the bioluminescent larvae of a tiny gnat. They emit a twinkling, star-like light in the otherwise dark caves to attract and ensnare other tiny insects in their dangling mucoid threads, which can be up to 30-40 cm.long. Actually, these glowworms are to be found in other parts of the country, but this is the most famous and allegedly the most concentrated collection of them. Seen in the light, the larvae and the mucus threads are fascinating but somewhat disgusting. I also couldn't help but think that this is the sort of the phenomena that Disney could simulate well, probably with the really annoying musical soundtrack. Another activity in the caves is what is called "black water rafting". For this activity, you don a wetsuit and float on an inner tube through the stream in the caves in the dark. Time did not allow me to participate in the activity.

On Friday, we'd decided to take a day trip to Rotarua, famous for its thermal volcanic activity and it's importance in Maori culture and history. One of the delights in travel, and one that seems to be disappearing at home, is encountering the "roadside attraction": generally some gigantic absurdity when uncovered by future civilizations will leave scratching their heads. Thankfully, New Zealand there still places like Tirau, where being countered these two classic examples; the Tirau i-SITE (a tourist information center within a giant corrugated metal sheepdog)

next to its companion, a woolen goods store shaped like a giant sheep.

Need I say more? (I think not.)

Rotarua itself has a fascinating history, and we only had time to scratch the surface. The area is very reminiscent of a cross between Yellowstone and Calistoga, with all sorts of geysers, steaming vents, bubbling mud pots, and various mineral and mud baths. It was New Zealand's first huge tourist attraction in the mid to late 19th century, but was dealt a severe blow in 1886 when Mount Tarawera erupted, killing 153 people and destroying the major attraction, a series of pink and white silica terraces (similar to what can still be found Pamukkale, Turkey).

Old image of Pink Terraces (Wikipedia)

Our first stop was the Rotarua Museum of Art and History, housed in the Great Spa of the South Pacific built in 1908 to try to recoup some of the tourist trade lost after the eruption. It is a magnificent building and grounds

and the displays included many of the old treatment rooms and baths.

The next stop was just on the outskirts of town,Whakarewarewa thermal area and village. Sure, it is a tourist attraction but it is also still a real Maori community and worth visiting. The homes wraparound a variety of steaming pools and bubbly mud pots within view of the geysers. The community is welcoming, but still seems to go about its business The smell of sulfur lingers over the whole town, as you might expect. One of the highlights of the visit was to have a meal prepared in a traditional way, steamed by one of the natural thermal vents.It is sort of like having your own natural crock pot. The food is packed and baskets and lowered into the vent for several hours, and then brought back up in time for lunch.

 I appreciated that the meeting house was not just for show, and the decor inside was very functional as demonstrated by the furniture and carpeting.

 

 There was hardly time for a walk around dusk to enjoy  the lakeside and the black swans.We definitely plan to go back and spend more time there in the future.

Saturday we dedicated to visiting Hamilton itself. It is in the center of a large and rich agricultural area, including dairy farming and horse breeding. Some of the farms resembled the Kentucky Bluegrass. One of the famous figures from Hamilton is Richard O'Brien, you would probably know better as the writer of  The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He lived and worked here as a hairdresser in the 1960s, and also portrayed Riff Raff on the stage and screen, and they have erected a statue to honor him. Ironically, he has been in the news since we've been here because New Zealand authorities have denied him permanent residence in the country. (So much for fame.) Let's do the Time Warp again, shall we.

 The mighty Waikato River, the longest in the country, snakes through the city and there are lovely walks along the riverside as well as the in very popular Hamilton Gardens.

Artwork at the Main Entrance to the Hamilton Gardens

 Sort of like a botanical Epcot, at the heart of it is a series of pavilions inspired by someone's conceit of gardens around the world. I liked the Chinese garden,

the Indian garden,

and the Italian garden.

Not so much the American garden, which was a cement swimming pool with patio furniture and a large image of Marilyn Monroe, but that was about it, not much in the way of plants or flowers.

We had time for one more activity that evening, and chose to patronize the local theater and see a three-character play entitled "Heat", with the irresistible tagline "a man, a woman, and a penguin". It sounds like a comedy:  It really wasn't, but it was worth seeing. The story involves a married couple spending a winter doing research in a cabin in Antarctica, whose lives become more complicated when the flightless bird arrives. I have to agree with reviewer Janet McAllister , who wrote in the NZ Herald, "Byron Coll, naked save for some black and white paint and knee pads, is impressively brave and - even better - is committed and convincing as said penguin.".

(Large naked actor playing penguin not pictured)

It was fun, and a fitting end to a great nine day sweep through parts of the North Island. Back to Timaru on July 4th: no parades, no fireworks, and for the first time I'm really missing home a bit.